User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
C. Liedtke
a Audio Enthusiast

Date Reviewed: February 4, 2011

Bottom Line:

After making the commitment to get back into the warm sound that analogue audio equipment provides (not to knock solid state) I tried the Cayin H-80 hybrid with my Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors, Marantz SA8003 SACD player and Clearaudio Concept turntable (recent purchase). Though the Cayin provided lots of power the sound was still somewhat harsh and "electronic". I sold the integrated Cayin and after a lot of reading (The Absolute Sound & Stereophile) and a 2010 visit to CES I bought the Primaluna Dialogue II used at Audiogon.com for $1,700 and the seller included many NOS tubes including a set of Telefunken 12AX7 and 12AU7. This 40 watt Primaluna sounds FANTASTIC! I very quickly switched out all of the stock tubes as they sounded very harsh and inserted the NOS tubes throughout the Dialogue II. The sound opened up, became much deeper, the soundstage, wider and the harsh somewhat lifeless sound from the stock tubes became warm, rich, and very enjoyable. The ability to swap out tubes with such ease (no calibration required as the Dialogue II does this automaticaly) has made my enjoyment of the Dialogue II a pleasure. The Primaluna powers my Sonus Faber speakers very nicely (room size is 14 feet wide by 27 feet deep). And the Primaluna's dynamics is equally strong with jazz, classic rock, female voice, and classical music. I highly recommend the Primaluna Dialogue II as a medium size (power) integrated amp for a person who is serious about getting a warm, rich, tube sound in a modest sized room with higher end speakers. I know that Kevin at Upscale Audio will treat you fair but because of my limited budget I had to buy the amp second hand. Finally, as great as the Primaluna Dialogue II is -- when you spend the extra money for some very fine NOS tubes the amp really shows what it is capable of. I am now VERY HAPPY.

I the opportunity several months ago to listen to the Dialogue Two at Upscale Audio and could not stop thinking about this product. I waited several months believing that this product would not work well with my Revel Performa F32’s (sensitivity 86.5) and fairly large listening room 17x24. I spoke with Kevin at Upscale Audio about my current set up using a more powerful 150x2 hybrid amp that doubles to 300x2 at 4 ohms. Kevin gave no promises but thought I would enjoy how the dialogue opens up the music on my Revels. After nearly having a hernia setting the Dialogue up (Note: do not ask your wife for assistance, unless she is Olga from American Gladiators. (Nearly 70lbs)) I anxiously began breaking things in. I almost felt bad for myself after listening. I had been missing out on so much musical information and emotion in my music collection. I do not listen at extreme levels but loud enough to wake the family frequently. The dialogue never seems to struggle and continually impresses with its musicality and ability to replicate all musical notes with ease.
If you like to listen to music for an hour or two a day this integrated amp is not for you. It has the ability to suck you in for hours and hours at a time. For the first time I am not thinking of my next upgrade. At this price point you would be hard pressed to find a peer of the Dialogue Two. If you have the chance to get to Upscale Audio and listen you will not be disappointed. The service and commitment these guys take is second to none. The philosophy is geared towards the long term customer rather than the quick deal. I know I sound like a homer and the only shortcoming to this product is that you will sound like one two. Enjoy

I purchased a Primaluna Dilaogue II integrated amp from Upscale Audio recently.I won't comment much on the purchase process itself except to say that Kevin is the real deal-a dedicated audiophile who clearly loves what he does and loves even more giving joy to fellow audiophiles.I have a Theta Miles CD player and Piega 10 speakers.Having bought the Piega 10s on the basis of reviews on this website and others,I was a little dissapointed at first with the thinness of the sound .I was running the Piegas through the Theta CD connected directly to my B&K EX4200 amp as well as interposing a Coda preamp.The sound wasn't bad but did not make my hair stand on end as I had hoped.I read the reviews of the Prima Luna Dialogue II and,truth be told,was somewhat skeptical.As a scientist,I am reluctant to accept reviews as truth but was intreagued by the reviews of the Prima Luna on the net.I received the Dialogue II while travelling and ,several days later,got a chance to set up the Dialogue II.First,the set-up was elementary.I had the same fear of tubes that many audiophiles with only solid state experience experience when contemplating these hot glowing glass objects.All I had to do was remove the styrophome sleeves surrounding the tubes ,attach the speakers and my Theta Miles CD,and flip the on button.What I experienced then was amazing.Everything you read about the Prima Luna Dialogue II is true.Suddenly,I understood what the Piega IIs were capable of.I was listening to real,live in the flesh music as opposed to lifeless audio signals.The highs had a sustain and sweetness that I had never before hear.Bass was tighter and more "present "than with my 200 watt/channel B&K. Midrange blossomed as I had never before heard.This is audio at it's finest ! I could not be happier with my choice of the Prima Luna Dialogue II.This is the real deal!

I was an avid HiFi hobbyist back in the 70’s & 80’s and as funds allowed I would upgrade the weakest component every year or two to keep my system improving and current. I fell out of the habit in the late 80’s ending up with a system of top of the line Yamaha and Nackamichi electronics running Magnat speakers. Not state of the art gear even in those times but respectable for my budget. Finally after my integrated amp when on the blink last year I decided, after almost 20 years, it was time to bring my system up to date with a focus both on two channel music and Home Theater.

I started with a Rotel 1068 5 channel HT receiver, 1072 CD player, and 1040 Power conditioner. I still use my old B&O tangential tracking turntable and added a Rotel 970 phone EQ. For video I am using a Sharp LCD with a Sharp BluRay. My listening room is only about 12x15 so I selected B&W 805s for my main speakers with matching center channel. To supplement the base on the 805s, and for LFE on HT, I added an REL B2 subwoofer. Interconnects are MIT Avt1.

I selected the Rotel 1068 with the intent of adding a higher output Rotel power amp in the future to drive the mains. I had my local Rotel dealer who is also a McIntosh dealer do a little demo for me running the 1068 into a Rotel 200wpc power amp with my B&W 805s. Next he replaced the Rotel power amp with a McIntosh. Wow!! What a difference. The soundstage on the McIntosh was so much more open. This got me thinking about how I can try to get the best for the two channel sound, have full flexibility for my HT, and stay under $4k.

Here’s where the PrimaLuna Dialogue comes in. After doing some research, followed up with some listening at various dealers (Conrad Johnson, McIntosh, Moon, Audio Research), I realized I wanted the sound that only a tube amp can deliver. I spoke with Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio with the original intent of adding a pair PrimaLuna Prologue 7 monoblocs. Kevin recommended that I consider the Dialogue Two integrated amp which would dovetail nicely with my Rotel using the HT bypass. Ahhh yes… this is a great way to go. Run my CD and Phono direct into the Dialogue Two and let the Rotel handle my BluRay and FIOS HD TV’s for the surround processing and output to the center and rear channels. Kevin indicated I would have no problem driving my 805s with the Dialogue. After doing some more research I placed my order.

I got my dialogue last week and hooked it up over the weekend. This unit is everything I was hoping it would be. To start with this is one solid unit. At 68 lbs out of the box it is very solid. The tube cage is nicely designed and is as solid as the unit. Set-up was easy and integration with the Rotel in HT bypass mode was flawless. After power up and easing into my listening it became apparent quite quickly that this amp has way more than enough power to drive my B&W 805s to significantly high levels. As you approach a high volume level you get no indication that the unit is beginning to strain. At al listening levels bass command is tight and responsive and the highs are clear and natural. I started off using the 8ohm speaker taps but as recommended gave the 4ohms a listen. I stayed with the 4ohms as they seemed yield a bit richer sound. I have been enjoying the on the fly switching from ultralinear/triode mode. Triode does appear to favor material like solo piano or acoustic guitar. Bass and highs in triode are perhaps a shade more subtle but still very impressive. Of course the most important aspect is the realism of the sound. As hopped the sound stage is full and extends out and back. This amp is a great complement to the 805s. Not being floor standers they have a very open mid and clear detailed highs. My listening room is about as bad as you can get with respect to possible speaker placements due to furniture, windows, and door locations. The Dialogue Two still made a significant improvement in the sound.

Bottom line is this unit has it all, great tube sound, tons of power, HT bypass, ultralinear/triode operation, and autobias, remote. At this price the unit is a real deal. Don’t tell my wife but now I’m thinking about upgrading my phono gear to take more advantage of the capabilities of this unit!

I just had to write and review PrimaLuna's DiaLogue Two. It's
currently set up with a pair of KEF iQ9's, a quite respectable
tower loudspeaker, and one of Yamaha's new hi end SA-CD Player, the
CD-S2000.

It's a marvelous combination! The KEF's are capable of delivering
impressively tight & deep bass, so, it's a testamony to the
DiaLogue Two that it couples nicely with them. In this regard, it
acts very non-tube like, delivering great lower octave performance.
I've never heard a tighter tube amp, and, I repped Mac for years.

As for the rest of it's performance, it's everything all the
reviewers have had to say, and more. After letting it play as
backround music for a three day interval, I finally got up the
nerve to "listen" to it, critically. That is when the Yamaha SA-CD
Player arrived, and I connected it. Previously, it's only source
was a digital cable box, set to wide dynamic range, but, still
sounding quite a bit compressed. That's ok, all I wanted to do was
burn in the amp and loosen up the KEF's for a few days.

The first CD I played was "Ray", the soundtrack from the life of
Ray Charles. It's digitally remastered, with some of the selections well
done at that. My
girlfriend's (and mine, for that matter) first reaction was one of
amazement. "He sound's like he's right in here with us", she said,
and, she's heard a lot of music in my house this last year.

This is one quick, yet very smooth amplifier! I find myself
switching back and forth between triode and ultralinear mode, and,
as the owner's manual states, there is no hard and fast rules as to
which is "better". You just have to listen and choose. The KEF's
are well known for being able to present a huge, airy soundstage,
and the amp compliments them beautifully. The KEF's response curve
goes well past 20kHZ to 40kHZ, and I am pleased to report no nastiness in
the upper frequencies, providing the choice of recordings is up to the task.
Equipment at this level of performance is highly software dependent, so, any
shortfalls in the recording/mixing process are also reproduced faithfully.
But, feed it with the appropriate 'stuff' and it will astound you and your
friends.

I'd say I have about 35-40 hours total time on the amp, etc. It keeps
getting better and better. It's the most enjoyable component I've purchased
for myself in years, and I've been in the business since 1981.